What Do You Feed Your Mind?

Another Interesting Book...

I found a book that's so interesting, thought provoking, and well written that I wonder it hasn't been republished in recent years. Here's the opening paragraph... 

"There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." 

~ Galatians 3:28 ~

"Woman was the finishing grace of creation. Woman was the completeness of man's bliss in Paradise. Woman was the cause of sin and death to our world. Woman was the means of our redemption. Woman is the mother of the human race; our companion, counselor, and comforter in the pilgrimage of life; or our tempter, our scourge, and our destroyer. Our sweetest cup of earthly happiness, or our bitterest draught of sorrow, is mixed and administered by her hand. She not only renders smooth or rough our path to the grave, but helps or hinders our progress to immortality. In heaven we shall bless God for her aid in assisting us to reach that blissful state, or amid the torments of unutterable woe in another region, we shall deplore the fatality of her influence."

God's Work On The Human Soul...

Many today in the Christian Church have fallen into the world's destructive and distorted view of Easter or Resurrection Sunday. People look at little pastel colored candies, egg hunts, and cute little bunnies and chicks instead of the history of the amazing grace of God. From Christ's birth on earth to His ministry on earth, then His humiliating death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and then Christ's ascension to heaven!

What could be more amazing and wonderful than that?

God incarnate - The One who created the earth became a human, Mortal just to suffer and die for our sins! 
How wondrous is His love for us that He'd died so we should live! And not only that but that He arose victorious from the grave! Hallelujah! 

Christ is Risen! 

 The Condescending Grace of Christ
Matt. 20:28
By Phillip Doddridge

'Saviour of men, and Lord of love,
How sweet thy gracious name!
With joy that errand we review
On which thy mercy came.

While all thy own angelic bans
Soot waiting on the wing,
Charm'd with the honour to obey
Their great eternal King;

For us, mean, wretched, sinful men,
Thou laid'st that glory by;-
First, in our mortal flesh, tho serve;
Then, in that flesh, to die.

Bought with thy service and thy blood,
We doubly, Lord, are thine;
To thee our lives we would devote,
To thee our death resign.'




Here are some songs that I hope will encourage you in your walk with Christ or if you have yet to put your faith in Christ may these songs point you to the only One who can give you peace and hope.

~Behold the Man~
John 19:5
By Charles Wesley

'Ye that pass by, be hold the man;
The man of grief condemn'd for you,
The Lamb of God for sinners slain!-
Weeping to Calvary pursue.

His sacred limbs they stretch, they tear,
With nails they fasten to the wood-
His sacred limbs-expos'd and bare,
Or only cover'd with his blood.

See there! his temples crown'd with thorns,
His bleeding hands extended wide,
His streaming feet transfix'd and torn,
The fountain gushing from his side.

Thou dear, thou suffering Son of God,
How doeth thy heart to sinners move!
Sprinkle on us they precious blood,
and melt us with thy dying love.

The earth could to her centre quake,
Convuls'd, when her Creator died;
Oh, may our inmost nature shake,
And bow with Jesus crucified!

At thy last gasp, the graves display'd 
Their horrors to the upper skies;
O that our souls might burst the shade,
And , quicken'd by thy death, arise!

The rocks could feel thy powerful death,
And tremble, and asunder part;
Oh, rend, with thy expiring breath,
The harder marble of our heart!'

The Redeemer's Message

Luke 4:18-19

Phillip Doddridge

'Hark, the glad sound, the Saviour comes,

The saviour promis'd long!

Let every heart prepare a throne,

And every voice a song.

On him, the Spirit, largely pour'd,

Exerts his sacred fire;

Wisdom and might, and zeal and love,

His holy breast inspire.

He comes, the prisoners to release,

In Satan's bondage held;

The gates of brass before him burst,

The iron fetters yield.

He comes, from thickest films of vice

To clear the mental ray;

And, on the eyes oppress'd with night,

To pour celestial day.

He comes, the broken heart to bind,

The bleeding soul to cure;

And, with the treasures of his grace,

T' enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,

Thy welcome shall proclaim;

And heaven's eternal arches ring

With thy beloved name.'

What Shall I Do To Be Saved?

"And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..."

~ Acts 16:29 ~

"Whatever you may gain, life will be a lost adventure, if you do not gain salvation. The condition of the poorest creature that ever yet obtained, though he had but a mere glimmering of intellect, just enough of understanding to apprehend the nature of repentance; although he lived out his days amidst the squalid poverty and repulsive scenes of a hovel or a workhouse; although he was unknown even among the poor; and although when he died he was buried in the pauper's grave on which no tear was ever shed - the condition of even this poor outcast of society is infinitely to be preferred to that of the most successful merchant, the greatest conqueror, the profoundest philosopher, or the sublimest poet that ever existed, if he lived and died without salvation. 

The lowest place in heaven is infinitely to be preferred to the highest place on earth.

Go on then to urge the question, "What shall I do to be saved?" Let no one turn your attention from this matter. As long as you covet this, your eye and heart and hope are fixed on the sublimest object in the universe; and when officious but ignorant friends would persuade you that you are too anxious, point them to the bottomless pit, and ask them if any one can be too anxious to escape its torments.

Point them to heaven, and ask them if any one can be too anxious to obtain its glories.

Point them to the cross of Christ, and ask them if any one can be too anxious to secure the object for which he died." 

~ John Angell James, Exerpt from 'The Anxious Inquirer After Salvation' ~ 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

~ Romans 5:8 ~

The Effects of Listening to 'In Freedom's Cause'

If you have never listened to this amazing rendition of In Freedom's Cause you really should. They have done an amazing job with their productions so far. Here is a video we made for a contest they put together. Please vote for our video at the link below! The voting ends on August 7th, 2015. I hope you all enjoy it. We had fun putting it together. http://www.ifcvideocontest.com/watch.php?vid=bedef6a69

If you want to check out In Freedom's Cause or other audio dramas that Heirloom audio has put together click HERE to check them out. With Lee in Virginia is the newest one and I hear that they will be doing The Dragon and The Raven next.... I know I can't wait to hear them! Let me know what you think of our little video and maybe if you've listened to some of their dramas you could share what you thought of them!

The Effects of Listening to "In Freedom's Cause" by Leanne Bryan

A Moment In the Life of John Foxe

This is an except from the beginning of the book he wrote on the history of the Christian martyrs through out history. Below you will find the link if you want o read more about his life or read his book. This short story you are about to read is an amazing show of Providence. I hope you enjoy this little story.

"John Foxe traveled to London in the later part of the reign of Henry the VIII. Here, being unknown, he was in much distress, and was even reduced to the danger of being starved to death, had not Providence interfered in his favor, in the following manner:

One day as Mr. Foxe was sitting in St. Paul's church, exhausted with long fasting, a stranger took a seat by his side, and courteously saluting him, thrust a sum of money into his hand, and bade him cheer up his spirits; at the same time informing him, that in a few days new prospects would present themselves for his future substance. Who this stranger was, he could never learn; but at the end of three days, he received an invitation from the duchess of Richmond to undertake the tuition of the children of the earl of Surrey, who, together with his father the duke of Norfolk, was imprisoned in the Tower, by the jealousy and ingratitude of the king. The children thus confided to his care were, Thomas, who succeed to the dukedom; Henry, afterwards earl of Norfolk; and Jane, who became countess of Westmoreland. In the performance of his duties he fully satisfied the expectations of the duchess, their aunt."

John Foxe stayed with the eldest, Thomas until the reign of Queen Mary who was the notorious Bloody Mary.

To read further about John Foxe and his life you can go to this link : Foxe's Book of Martyrs

This is me in 1989 climbing the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral in London...

Crawling in the steps of great men... with my trusted binky of course! :) 

Taking Every Day Captive

"Yet, if at any stage of life you feel you're "flying by the seat of your pants," taking each day as it comes without having anticipated it, planned for it, shaped it, and prayed over it, then take time off and get back to poring over your goals. Then you will control your days, instead of letting them control you."

~Anne Ortlund~ 

'Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.'

~ Proverbs 29:18~

Some "Wise" Words from Pooh and His Friends...

Here are some "wise" words from a much beloved character Winnie-the-Pooh....

"They're funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you're having them."

~ Eeyore~

"When setting off on an Expotition, be sure to bring Provisions. Or, at the very least, things to eat." 

~ Pooh~ 

"A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards."

"Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you."

~Winnie-the-Pooh~

The Irony of the World's Thinking

‎"Of course, much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own."

~Mrs. Dorthy Patterson~ 

Why I started this blog...

Some of you might wonder, "why did she name her blog 'The Opportunity"? Well, it all started with this poem and others like it.
Opportunity
By Edward R. Still
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields,
A prince’s banner wavered, then staggered backward hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears– but this
Blunt thing!”– he snapped and flung it from his hand.
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.

After I had read this I thought about how much we have changed from the way in which the Reformers and Puritans lived. How we have strayed so far from having that straight line drawn between right and wrong, godly and sinful. We, as Christians, should stand up for our faith, not run when the battle gets hard or looks like we will loose! What kind of example are we to the world if we just shrug our shoulders and say "we'll just live and let live"? Did Christ do that when He spoke to the Pharisees? No, very much the opposite. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:27

So what then should we do as His ambassadors? 

For myself I enjoy writing and talking about issues and at times a bit too much. So I chose to have a blog where I can share what God has put on my hear. I hope this blog is an encouragement and exhorts you in your God given roles. Please feel free to leave a note or thought. Is there something that you disagree with or something that you would like to hear my opinion on? I'd love to hear from you!

I hope you all enjoy my Opportunity. 

Dispelling the Myth

Stacy McDonald

(Excerpt from Passionate Housewives, Desperate For God)

'Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is price is far above rubies'

Proverbs 31:10

       In the 1970s, the pro-feminist bestseller Stepford Wives turned the traditional housewife into a mindless, husband-pleasing, yes-woman who was literally heartless—because, come to find out, she was actually a robot. The message was clear: a woman who faithfully serves her family, loves pleasing her husband, and joyfully takes care of her home (from home) is not a “real person,” but a contrived fantasy of her overbearing and selfish husband.

       Instead of treasuring women and properly utilizing their gifts, our culture has attempted to discard the beauty and uniqueness of biblical womanhood and create an emotionally androgynous power-woman whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, and her money-making potential. Rather than women renouncing this affront to their dignity, amazingly, the slaves are demanding their slavery!

       In place of the glorious picture painted for us in Scripture of the passionate keeper at home, a hollow counterfeit has emerged—a desperate image concocted and promoted by Hollywood stereotypes, magazine models, and women's self-help books.

      The rise of the Internet has only added to the confusion. As women have gravitated to the web en masse, they have met a flood of men and women of all backgrounds and persuasions propounding conflicting notions of what it means to be a woman. The cacophony of ideas and teachings that today's Christian women must wade through as they contemplate their rightful place in God's created order can be simply overwhelming.

      Of course, the challenge of determining the meaning of true biblical womanhood is not unique to our time. While today's women may be bombarded with more media steams than their counterparts of previous generations, biblical femininity has always been an unusual quality. This is what led king Lemuel's mother to observe, “who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10. Virtuous women have always been rare, and oh, how precious they are!

The Wicked Always Despise the Godly

'The wicked hate the godly; there is enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent Gen. 3:15. As in nature there is an antipathy between the vine and the bay tree, the elephant and the dragon. Vultures have an antipathy against sweet smells: so in the wicked there is an antipathy against the people of God; they hate the sweet perfumes of their graces. It is true the saints have their infirmities; but the wicked do not hate them for these, but for their holiness; and from this hatred ariseth open violence: the thief hates the light, therefore would blow it out.’
Thomas Watson

Our Sword and Our Guide

There is a wonderful blog that posts quotes daily of J. C. Ryle: 
jcrylequotes.com

Here is one of the most recent postes. It is a wonderful reminder for us Christians to be steadfast in the Word lest we stumble or loose our way....

"We must to be diligent readers of our Bibles. The Word is the sword of the Spirit. We shall never fight a good fight, if we do not use it as our principal weapon. The Word is the lamp for our feet. We shall never keep the king’s highway to heaven, if we do not journey by its light. There is not enough Bible-reading among us. It is not sufficient to have the Book. We must actually read it, and pray over it ourselves. It will do us no good, if it only lies still in our houses. We must be actually familiar with its contents, and have its texts stored in our memories and minds. Knowledge of the Bible never comes by intuition. It can only be obtained by diligent, regular, daily, attentive, wakeful reading."

Oh, that we be as David in Psalm 119:10-16, 

"With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O Lord!

Teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I have declared

All the judgments of Your mouth.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word."

What a Queen Had To Say On The Matter...

I hope you all enjoy this quote from Queen Victoria of England back in 1870. After reading this I wished I could have talked with her! What a woman!

" I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of 'Women's Rights', with all its attendant horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety. Feminists ought to get a good whipping. Were woman to 'unsex' themselves by claiming equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen and disgusting of beings and would surely perish without male protection. I love peace and quiet, I hate politics and turmoil. We women are not made for governing, and if we are good women, we must dislike these masculine occupations. There are times which force one to take interest in them, and I do, of course intensely"

Queen Victoria 1870

Too Many Children?

By Edgar A, Guest

'Whenever the mothers’ club holds a session on our front porch I get a chuckle. To hear some of them talk you’d think they were doing the Lord a favor to have a child or two instead of the Lord favoring them mightily to let them have ‘em. The responsibilities of parenthood have been magnified so much and dwelt upon so long by the experts that they’ve actually frightened off countless couples who would have had happier lives if they hadn’t heard about the difficulty of bringing up children.

“Oh,” said one woman in a session at our house, “we haven’t dared to have a baby. Children tie you down so; the responsibility is so great.”

I was about to say to that dame: “It’s too bad your mother didn’t have the same idea.” But Nellie, who reads me at a glance, kicked me on the shin as a signal to me to keep still.

I’ve yet to hear of a man going bankrupt because he had four children to support; I’ve yet to hear a man getting rich because he had no child to feed or clothe; my observation ids that the man who thinks he’ll get his fortune first and a family after usually winds up with neither. It seems to me to be not a question of whether you can afford to have children but can you afford to do without them.

We had hard times when I was young, harder even than these have been, and our family was large and we lived them through. The little dining-rooms in those days were literally cluttered with youngsters; mothers were kept busy patching little breeches and feeding hungry little stomachs. The responsibilities my mother faced would frighten to death some of these modern conversationalists, yet she met them all as a matter of course and thought nothing about them. I’m sure that my father never once thought that he’d have more of his salary to spend on himself if some of us hadn’t been born. So long as we were fed and clothed and housed he was content. I was for us he was working, not himself.'

A Homekeeper

A light, busy foot astir
In her small housewifery; the blithest bee
That ever wrought in hive.
(Mitford)

The Cowboy’s Code - By Gene Autry

A Cowboy…

#1 – Never takes unfair advantage
even of an enemy.

#2 – Never betrays a trust.

#3 – Always tells the truth.

#4 – Is kind to small children, to old
folks, and to animals.

#5 – Is free from racial and religious
prejudice.

#6 – Is always helpful and when any
ones in trouble he lends a hand.

#7 – Is a good worker.

#8 – Is clean about he’s person, and in
Thoughts, word, and deed.

#9 – Respects womanhood, his
Parents, and the laws of his country.

#10 – Is a patriot.

Here is a quote or two that might interest you.

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” - Ronald Reagan –

Sir Philip Sidney said on his death bed on October 17th 1586, “…But, above all things, govern your will and affections by the will and word of your Creator; in me beholding the end of this world with all her vanities.”